GENEVA — Roman Polanski has reappealed to the Swiss courts to be released from prison on bail, officials said yesterday, the latest step in the director’s legal battle to avoid extradition to the United States.

The Swiss Criminal Court declined to comment on the contents of the appeal, but the Justice Ministry said it was an offer that the government has already turned down, in part because it lacked a cash guarantee.

Folco Galli, the ministry spokesman, said it was an appeal of a release request that was rejected last week. Such reappeals are common under Swiss law.

The 76-year-old filmmaker has suffered a string of setbacks since he was arrested Sept. 26 in Zurich as he arrived to receive a lifetime-achievement award from a film festival.

Authorities in Los Angeles want him extradited for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl there.